Spring base for diving board



Get. 29, 1968 c. R. MEYER SPRING BASE FOR DIVING BOARD Filed March 31, 1966 8 INVENTOR.

AGE/VI United States Patent 3,408,061 SPRING BASE FOR DIVING BOARD Carl R. Meyer, 2512 E. Vine St., West Covina, Calif. 91790 Filed Mar. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 539,174 6 Claims. (Cl. 267-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention provides a spring base for diving boards and the like wherein a portion of the energy heretofore stored in the board itself is now stored in the base upon which the diving board is supportedly mounted. The spring base has a flat Z-like configuration. Either one or two Z-like sections may be used, the latter being further disposed back-to-back arrangement. In use, the deflection of the diving board results in moving the fulcrum of the diving board forwardly as well as to constrain the base toward a collinear configuration.

This invention relates generally to athletic equipment and more particularly to a spring base for diving boards and the like.

For years, man has used devices commonly known as diving boards to gracefully and even acrobatically enter water. Having in time realized the importance of the undercarriage to effect such entrances successfully and repeatedly, his interest turned to the development of a variety of undercarriages in hopes of providing one having predictable operational characteristics.

In his early efforts, two inverted U-type tubular supports were permanently anchored in spaced apart relationship, the one furthest from the pool being fastened to the butt end of the diving board and the other merely providing support in fulcrum fashion at some intermediate point with the other end of the board extending safely over the pool. In this type of undercarriage, the fulcrum cannot be moved; the board is noticeably noisy in use due to its pounding the fulcrum in hammer-like fashion after each dive; and the momentary storage of energy for subsequent release to assist the diver at lift-off is confined to the diving board itself.

A later development included a raised platform in which the fulcrum point was movable along the length of the diving board but was also rigidly maintained in the vertical plane. With this, the spring constant of the diving board could be varied within limits to accommodate divers of various weights as Well as permitting the use of diving boards of different lengths. Some platforms of this type were in turn mounted on a tubular pedestal which may or may not have been slightly inclined for appearance purposes. Here, as with the undercarriage just described, energy storage was confined to the diving board itself and a somewhat limited range of flexibility permitted.

In another undercarriage structure, a pedestal type of anchoring was provided for the butt end of the diving board with a somewhat similarly disposed pedestal housing a coil spring which was also fastened to the underside of the diving board near the fulcrum. With this type, energy could be stored in both the diving board and the undercarriage; however, if the diver happened to be slightly off center as he made his approach for the dive, the diving board would not only be deflected but would also be twisted accordingly and, on release, this twisting action would materially affect his performance of the dive. Other more adverse and even detrimental aspects are characteristic of this type undercarriage.

With the spring base of the present invention, the above mentioned disadvantages are obviated if not entirely over- 3,408,061 Patented Oct. 29, 1968 come. In brief, the invention comprises two elongated support elements which may geometrically be arranged in various ways. Standard plate stock of, for example, steel may be used and heat treated to provide a desired spring characteristic and useful life. Each of the support elements ma readily be varied in thickness or in width or in geometry with minimum expense. Each may be uniformly coated with plastic materials to prevent oxidation and each may be symmetrically formed to minimize installation errors and lower manufacturing and other costs.

By means of a spring base in accordance with the invention, relatively shorter diving boards may be used where space requirements are critical and would otherwise exclude the installation of a diving board. In addition, a multi-leaf spring base may be provided if desired by superimposing a second partially formed spring base over a fully constructed one.

According to the invention, there is provided a spring base for diving boards comprising in combination two elongated support elements each including outer end portions, a central planar portion, and co-extending intermediate portions having a predetermined spring characteristic; means including an opening extending through each of the end portions for operatively mounting the support elements to a diving board along the bottom surface thereof in spaced apart relationship; and means including openings extending through the central planar portion for attaching the spring base in fixed disposition to a supporting surface near a pool, the co-extending portions being responsive to receivably store a predetermined amount of energy supplied by a diver and to subsequently release the stored energy to the diver prior to his leaving the diving board.

It is therefore the primary and principal objective and purpose of the invention to provide a novel spring base for a diving board.

It is another object of the invention to provide a diving board support structure in which the fulcrum point is movable.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a diving board undercarriage capable of storing energy supplied by a diver and then substantially releasing this energy at the appropriate time to assist the diver in the execution of this dive.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a diving board spring base of the types described wherein a portion of the input energy supplied by a diver is stored in the base structure during a first time interval and subsequently delivered to the diver during a second time interval to assist the diver in executing his dive.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring diving board base of the types described having energy storing capabilities and a movable fulcrum point, the displacement of which is a function of the input energy supplied by the diver and the combined effect of which is to enable the diver to obtain greater height and longer trajectories with diving boards of shorter overall length than heretofore.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a spring base for a diving board of the types described wherein the space requirements are substantially less than the minimum necessary for the installation of conventional boards of comparable performance characteristics.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a spring diving board base of the types described for a fiberglass diving board wherein a predetermined portion of the energy input to the board is temporarily stored in the spring base.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spring diving board base of the types described that is modern 8 d xpensive to manufacture, easy toinstall, andis trouble-free, safe, and silent in operation.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become more fully understood upon a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a diving board operatively supported by a preferred embodiment of the invention;

I FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of FIGURES l and 2;

. FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a third embodiment of the invention;

' FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURES 8 and 9 are planviews showing two ways of interconnecting the various embodiments of the invention. Referring now to the drawing, shown there in FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a spring base 10 constructed in accordance with the invention. A diving board 12, shown in dashed delineation, is operatively mounted to the spring base 10 which in turn is fastened to a surface 14 that may extend around a portion of a pool 16.

Irrthe preferred embodiment, the spring base 10 is formed from steel plate stock, preferably of a type known commercially as type 6152 steel which is also readily receptive to known heat treat techniques to obtain desired spring characteristics. As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, the spring base 10 comprises two elongated support elements 18 each having a back end portion 20, a front end portion 22, a center or central planar portion 24, and rear and forward intermediate portions 26 and 28 co-extending between the center portion 24 and the-back and front end portions and 22 respectively.

Openings 30 are provided in the center portion 24 for receiving bolts 32 to which matching nuts 34 are threadedly mounted to secure the spring base 10 to the surface 14 in fixed arrangement relative to the pool 16. Suitable locking devices may be provided to maintain the spring base 10 and hence the diving board 12 firmly attached to the surface 14.

I To facilitate installation, the bolts 32 may be held in spaced apart relationship by a framework 36 of, for example, reinforcing rods 38 suitably welded together and to which the bolts 32 in turn are welded. Such an arrangement assures the proper positioning of the bolts 32 during the construction of the surface 14 which typically is made of concrete as shown in FIGURE 1.

The end portions 20 and 22 each includes an opening 40 for receiving a conventional bolt-like fastener, not shown, which extends through openings, also not shown, suitably aligned with the openings 40 and extending through the diving board 12.

It should be noted that the support elements 18 may be formed from two pieces, each of which has an outer end portion 20 or 22, an intermediate portion 26 or 28 respectively, and either a half or a full center portion 24 with the respective pieces being directed oppositely of each other and disposed accordingly in fastened relationship to the surface 14 by the bolts 32 and nuts 34.

A second embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG- URE 3 by a reference numeral 42, comprises a forward section 44 and a rearward section 46 each co-extending from a reference line 48. Openings 50 are provided on either side of the reference line 48 to receive the bolts 32 as described above in conjunction with the spring base 10.

The forward section 44 includes a slightly curved front end portion 52 and a substantially fiat intermediate portion 54. An opening which may be a slot 56 is centrally disposed in the curved portion 52 for mounting the diving board 12 thereto. The rearward section 46 includes a fiat back end portion 58 and a curved intermediate portion 60. An opening 62 is also provided in the back end portion 58 for attaching the diving board 12 thereto. Also, the reference line 48 shown in FIGURE 3 is preferably disposed along points equidistant from the openings 56 and 62 in the same way that the openings 30 and 40 are provided in the spring base 10 of FIGURES 1 and 2.

In the preferred embodiment, the support elements 18 are of uniform thickness and' width. For example, in a 6-foot springboard, a thickne'ss'of 0.323'inchand a width of 3 inches was found suitable with type 6152 steel heat treat-ed'to' over 100,000 p.s .i.,In the, case of a ten-foot diving board, the thickness andnwidth were increased to 0.447 and 3.5 inches respectively, the type and hardness of the material remaining unchanged. t v

If desired, the elongated support elements 18 may each take the form of two forward sections 44 arranged back to back. In other words, the sections 44 may be each arranged back to back to form a mirror image about the reference line 48 of FIGURE 3. Other arrangements may be provided with the corresponding other half of the spring base 10 of FIGURES 1 and 2. The choice may be determined on appearance grounds or for engineering economy. In this regard, it is to be noted that the preferred embodiment of FIGURE 1 stands out since only a series of bends or reverse bends are required for its manufacture. In addition; less material is required, and hence the overall weight and material cost are significantly less when compared to the other embodiments set forth above. I

In FIGURE 1, an arrow P represents the force supplied by a diver in the execution of his dive. In most cases, this energy was stored in the diving board as evidenced by the boards bending. In these cases, the fulcrum point, which in FIGURE 1 extends across both front end portions 22, does not move.

In the present invention, however, only a portion of this energy input is stored in the board 12; the rest is stored I in the spring bases 10 and 42. Here, in direct contrast, the

fulcrum point does move and in both the vertical as well as the horizontal planes. The amount of fulcrum movement is a function of the spring constant and the force F or its corresponding energy equivalent, In either event, some desired fraction of the energy as represented by the force F is temporarily stored in the spring base of the invention for subsequent release to the diver just moments before lift-off and the completion of the dive commenced.

With such an arrangement, shorter diving boards can be used having spring characteristics comparable to the longer diving boards having a conventional fixed fulcrum arrangement.

If desired, a non-linear as compared to a linear spring characteristic can be provided by varying either the thick ness or the width of each or a portion of each support element accordingly. The thickness of each support element may be varied accordingly instead of the width as just described to obtain a nonlinear spring characteristic provided, of course, that the reduction or change in crosssectional area of the support elements 18 does not result in excessive stresses which could accelerate fatigue and reduce its useful life.

In FIGURE 5, a spring base 64 is shown having a variable width along the rear and forward intermediate portions 26 and 28 to provide a non-linear spring characteristic. Another non-linear spring base 68 is shown in FIGURE 6, here the taper being along both sides 70 of the portions 26 and 28 whereas in FIGURE 5 the taper arrangement was provided along one side only as indicated by a reference numeral 66.

'Another type of spring base is shown in FIGURE 7 which in all respects is similar to the spring base except that the forward intermediate portions 28 and the front end portions 22 are excluded and an interconnecting plate 74 suitably connected as by Welding to the central portions 24a. Conceivably, the embodiment of FIG- URE 7 may be rotated 180 degrees and connected to the diving board 12 at the centrally disposed fulcrum position instead of at the butt end as the arrangement of FIGURE 7 would suggest.

The interconnecting plate 74 of FIGURE 7 may be also used to maintain the two support elements 18 in proper spaced apart alignment. In FIGURE 8, the plate 74 extends over the central portion 24 and is welded thereto along a line 76. Instead of overlapping, the plate 74 may be cut shorter by twice the width of the support elements 18 and placed between the inside edges thereof along the central portion 24 as shown in FIGURE 9 and then welded at the junction thereof.

Hence, I have shown and described a new and novel undercarriage for diving boards and the like which can be heat treated to provide desired spring characteristics, can be readily coated with plastic and other type of materials to lend an attractive appearance and also withstand severe weather conditions of every kind, can be shipped knocked down and yet quickly assembled and installed by the inexperienced, and which exhibits clean lines and efiicient functional design, all of which seems to provide a more inexpensive spring base for diving boards and the like.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my in vention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and methods.

I claim: 1. A spring base for diving boards comprising in combination two elongated support elements each including outer end portions, a central planar portion, and co-extending intermediate portions having a predetermined spring characteristic, each of said co-extending intermediate portions defining inclined planes the extension of which intersect at points spaced a like amount below said planar portion and at the center thereof;

means including an opening extending through each of said end portions for operatively mounting said support elements to a diving board along the bottom surface thereof in spaced apart relationship; and

means including openings extending through said central planar portion for attaching said spring base in fixed disposition to a supporting surface near a pool; said co-extending portions being responsive to receivably store a predetermined amount of energy supplied by a diver during his approach on said diving board and to subsequently release said stored energy to said diver prior to his leaving said diving board.

2. The spring base in accordance with claim 1 further characterized in that said co-extending intermediate portions form forward and rearward sections disposed in back-to-back, substantially flat Z-like configuration, the forward Z-like section being constrained toward a collinear configuration to store said predetermined amount of energy supplied by said diver during his execution of his dive.

3. The spring base in accordance with claim 2 further characterized in that each of said elongated support elements include an outer end portion, a central planar portion having a width dimension substantially larger than twice the width of said outer end portions, and an intermediate linear portion co-extending between each of said outer end portions and said central planar portion at opposite side ends thereof, said portions being arranged in parallel relationship and forming a substantially {flat Z- like configuration for storing energy as said divers execute their dives, said support elements being constrained toward a co-planar configuration as energy to be stored therein is increased and the fulcrum of said diving board is shifted forwardly.

4. The spring base in accordance with claim 2 further characterized in that said elongated support elements have a greater width across said central portion relative to said outer end portions.

5. The spring base in accordance with claim 2 further characterized in that the thickness of said elongated support elements decreases in a direction toward said outer end portions.

6. The spring base in accordance with claim 2 further characterized in that there is provided an interconnecting plate means integrally connected to said support elements at the central planar portions thereof. 

